I just don't have a thing to play with...

Spent a great Saturday night with my Mama watching T.V. and snoozing... I spent more time trying to find something to play with than actually playing... I stand in front of my toy box and there just isn't a damn thing to play with... Mama said she sometimes feels that way when she tries to get ready for work in the morning... I don't know what that means...

Selecting just the right lovie to play with is actually a very complicated process... I choose some lovies when I am in the mood to shred and spread fuzz all over the carpet... I like to do this right after Mama vacuums... Some lovies are good for chewing and cleaning my teeth... And then others are good for just holding... I like to do that a lot... So of all the lovies in my toy box I picked this little pink bone...

As exhausting as the selection process is, even MORE difficult is keeping that precious lovie!! See, Lily doesn't like to pick a lovie... she likes to wait until I pick one then wait patiently until I let my guard down and she steals it...

This was a new move... the over the shoulder/eyes in the back of my head toy stalking...

Hey!!!!!!!!!!!!! How did she do that?!?! Sheesh, take two seconds to lick your nose and it's bye-bye lovie... She gets me every time!!!!! Damn you Lily Luv!!!!!

D-E-R-E-L-I-C-T...

... that is what I've been... Derelict with a capital D!!!! It is September... Labor Day has come and gone and not a single post since June... What an embarassment! All I can say is - "I have been busy people!!!!" Busy going on vacation, taking my Mama and Daddy for walks, busy taking road trips to Special Grandma and Grandpa's, busy playing with Ruby at Grandma and PeePaw's house... Too much for a pair of tiny paws to type... so rather than try to catch up... Just some major highlights here...

Just to confirm I was aptly name - I got into a real throw down with my uncle Tucker... Mama may call me tenderheart - but I know when "the you know what" is about to hit the fan and how to take care of me!!!

But most importantly - Mama and Special Grandma know how to take care of me... Just a note - Daddy had to have an ice pack on his eye a couple days ago and he couldn't handle it for more than a few minutes!!!!! I gutted it out for 45 minutes straight!!! Pretty Tuff, huh??

My Rx for recovery - lots and lots of snoozes and intense sunbeam therapy!!!! Lily and Mama subscribe to Dr. Tuffy's advice as well...

Last but not least - we spent Saturday with a new kid on the block... Olive just picked Aunt Julie to be her Mama... She is pretty cool and both Lily and I were happy to host a party in her honor... Sure - Mama did a lot of the work - but when you get down to brass tacks - the guests of honor were standing on all fours!!!

Olive and I chilling before the guests arrive...

Lily in her party dress...

It's tuff to be the only boy at a puppy party... takes a pretty secure dude...

The Takedown!!

When I was just under 2 pounds [roughly a quarter of my current fighting weight] Grandma bought me a froggy who was twice my size... Froggy and I have had many adventures in our nearly six year friendship... He lost an eye in the Summer of 2007... His ribbit isn't quite as robust, but he is still a worthy opponent when it comes to puppy games!!

Sometimes Froggy is the best shoulder to snooze on... Sometimes, he is my fierce competitor and sometimes, he is the perfect combination of the two! Like he was this weekend! We fought ferociously! I would pin him and then somehow he battled back and got the better of me... In the end though - I always get the takedown.

And there is nothing better than a post-takedown snuggle to remind him who ALWAYS wins!!!

Lily luvs Labels...

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit this weekend and we had lots and lots of fun! Even though it was Grandma's birthday we were celebrating, she brought mama a present! I don't know why girls get so excited about purses, but even Lily was giddy with the new bag!

Mama can try to put her in that cheap doggie bag from Petsmart - but Lily wants nothing of it... Put her in a Kenneth Cole and the girl would have been content to sit in there all day! Sooooo Lily...

Unfortunately the weekend went too fast and Grandma and Grandpa were gone before I knew it... I am a sad puppy missing Grandma's pats and pets... sniff sniff... It's enough to make a sensitive boy like me cry...

Fortunately - Daddy was happy to comfort me with a snuggle and a snooze...

Summer Babes!

Lily and I got some GREAT haircuts -- just in time for the first signs of summer! Our favorite groomer Linda at Dogma gave us great cuts and lots of love! I [of course] was waiting for the post-grooming-photo shoot and was ready for my close up...




















Lily doesn't cooperate so much when mama is ready for some doggie glamour shots...
Particularly when she is trying to work in a prop... I mean - come on - drop the moo chew for two seconds!!!


Sigh... Some of us are born with it... some *try* to learn and some just never get it... Poor Lily Luv.... It may be her middle name but she doesn't know how to make love to the camera like moi...

Fun Days aren't just on Sundays!

Yesterday was GREAT! Mama and Daddy spent almost the entire day at home with us! The windows were open and the sun was shining! After spending the morning reading and snuggling [they were reading, Lily and I were snuggling] we all went for a long walk down to the Harbor! The wind was really blowing and Lily's leash sometimes seemed more like a teather on a balloon than a lead!!!! We went down on one of the landings for a bit - but I wasn't so keen on the swaying - so we got back on the promenade and spent some time running!

Even puppies dread the Monday routine...

Mama was home sick today - which does throw me a bit of curve ball... I usually have so much sleeping, yawning, stretching to catch up on after a busy weekend - having her here leaves me feeling pressured to get it all in... Anyway - Lily and I both tried to remain undistracted... It isn't easy - but hey, that is the life of a puppy...

Girls... I just don't get them...

I love my mama - I mean I *REALLY* love my mama... She showers me with attention, she praises EVERYTHING I do and she makes me smile in my puppy heart... BUT she is a girl and that means she sometimes gets so worked up about stuff that daddy and I just don't understand... Lily is just like mama in that way... things that wouldn't even phase me are soooooo important to girls! For example, mama likes to keep Lily and I in puppy cuts... Even though she tells me I am her "big boy", I am still her little Tuffybear so I get a puppy cut... But Lily's puppy cut doesn't look the same as mine... and now mama keeps saying things like "growing out Lily's bangs" and "hairdo" and "baby girl barrettes"... All I know is - if being a boy means I don't have to wear ribbons in my hair - then thank heavens for little BOYS!!!!

Two cute things falling asleep

It may look like just ONE cute thing falling asleep - but stick around for the surprise ending!

Live, from Curley Street... It's Kermit the Frog!!

So Mama and Daddy were doing some organizing and early spring cleaning and came across a lovie that they got before Lily was... er... "delivered"... Seems Lily got so many presents at her 'Puppy Shower' that Mama and Daddy thought it made sense to put some of the loot away... Well - they apparently forgot about the little frog that Daddy picked out for Lily until pretty recently... I say "for Lily" but know that Daddy grabbed this little green fellow because he knows mama loves froggies... but I digress...



Lily and I both have a habit of picking a lovie and "loving it" until the stuffing is gone [and then some]... Well, Kermit has been heavy in the rotation of late for me... which means Lily has spent the better part of her 2-3 waking hours trying to snatch him! I have a pretty effective resistance... I like to call it the snug and cover...

The key is to never let Kermie out of sight...

But even my best defense is sometimes overmatched... Lily is not a quitter... and she is very crafty... Daddy calls Mama 'Sly Boots', I think Lily Luv must get this quality from Mama... She is so slick she sneaks into my bed and before I know it she is trying to steal my lovie!!!!

Waiting to Inhale...

Mama and Daddy have this funny habit of making Lily and I go through our [trained] puppy motions of sitting and waiting [patiently] for our treats... We oblige [a term inherited from our our English ancestorers - they "oblige"] and do what Mama and Daddy say... but in our puppy hearts... we get FRUSTRATED!!! All that being said... here we are... waiting to INHALE!!!!!!!!!!!

She's ELECTRIC! Lily Lily Lily!!!!

So I have already voiced my complaints about the new sofa based solely on the pillow arrangement - but Lily has her own beef with it... Seems that sofa is a real conduit for some mad static! Lily can't even sit on the sofa without snap, crackle and popping! Mama and Daddy can't stop giggling... I have a good laugh about it too, UNTIL that little sister of mine comes over and "grounds" herself by shocking ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It would appear that every day between now and let's say MARCH is going to be a bad hair day for Lily!!!

Happy Birthdays!!!!!!

That's not a typo... I apologize for being remiss in my postings, but it has been busy!!! Mama had a birthday, Lily had a birthday, the big guy in the sky had a birthday, and now today Aunt Chrissy has a birthday!!! WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!

Who is Aunt Chrissy?? Just one of mama's best-est friends!!! Mama loves Aunt Chrissy the way I cherish my pink pig lovie... then again, mama hasn't scratched out her eyes, torn a hole in Aunt Chrissy's side or ripped out her squeaker, so maybe she loves her just a little less...

But anyway... Lily and I got to see Aunt Chrissy last week and she brought Haley and Heather to play with us! It was a lot of fun!!!! But personally, my favorite part was when Mama opened her birthday present from Aunt Chrissy... Two TINY doggie sweaters... I know what you are thinking, why is Tuffy excited to see a doggie sweater? He hates them!!! Well, because I have eagle eyes when it comes to size and those sweaters were made for little Lily!!!!!

I also know what ELSE you are thinking... no gift receipt?? Funny thing... it got "lost"... Hee Hee Hee... So Happy Birthday Aunt Chrissy! We love you bunches and miss you spending every weekend with Mama!!!!!

The other big "birthday" we celebrated was Christmas!!!! We went home to see the Grandmas, Pee Paw, Grandpa, Aunt Michelle, Aunt Josie, Uncle Cody, Thomas, Sami, Chloe, Bub... It was a blur, but lots of fun! Here are "Christmas" pics of us with the tree at our house.... Mama was so sad to take it down this weekend...

Long post, I know - but I have a lot to fill you in on! Last thing - I promise!!!!

Daddy got Mama the BEST Christmas present ever... I couldn't be more delighted if I got it for her myself! I am actually sleeping better at night knowing I am undeniably the top dog on Curley Street! I mean - who else has been imortalized on canvas in an oil painting!!!! Only Tuffy!!!!